Crimson
by z3ro cool
Summary: Vincent returns following Omega and Yuffie comes to terms with her feelings for him. But the course of true love never did run smooth. Vincent/Yuffie HIATUS
1. Prologue: Homecoming

**Crimson

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**

**Author's Note: **Since I've been getting so much good feedback on the one-shots, I decided to start working on this longer, chaptered piece that incorporates some of the better storylines from those one-shots. I'm not sure yet how long this will end up being, but I'll tell you now, it will eventually be rated M. I'm starting it out as just a T, but it will change in the later chapters. Anyway, please read and review. I don't do chaptered stuff too often, so I'd like the feedback.

**Disclaimer: **The Final Fantasy series and all of its associated content are property of Square Enix. I am making no profit from this whatsoever.

* * *

**Prologue: Homecoming**

"We've got him," Cloud's voice echoed through the receiver. "We're a couple hours out. Can you get a bed made up for him? He's exhausted."

Tifa's heart pounded with excitement as she set down the rag she had been cleaning the counter with. Cloud and the others had been searching for Vincent for the last three days, with little to no hope of finding him. Words couldn't begin to describe the sudden comfort she took in hearing that he was indeed alive and well. "Of course. Hurry back."

After hanging up the phone, she walked around the corner to one of the bar's many storage closets and pulled some fresh sheets and towels out. As she turned the corner to go up the stairs to the bedrooms, she was greeted with Marlene's smiling face.

"They found my Uncle Vincent?" The little girl asked excitedly as she nervously played with the hem of her shirt. Tifa nodded and reached out to pat her on the head before continuing her walk up the stairs.

"He'll be too tired to play with you tonight, but maybe sometime tomorrow," Tifa replied as she continued on her way up the stairs. She reached up a hand and gently rapped on the door of the guest room at the top of the stairs, giving Yuffie a moment to make herself decent before she opened it.

Yuffie had been staying with them for the last few days while everyone searched for Vincent, helping Tifa keep up with the housework. Though they had decided to close the bar until the search effort was over, there were still meals to be made, clothes to be washed, and chores to be done – especially now with most of their old team staying over. And though Yuffie had cried sexism, Cloud had asked that she stay back and help Tifa, claiming that she had been through enough in the last few days.

Yuffie was perched in the windowsill, staring out at the horizon as if it would answer all of her questions. She had spent most of her time alone since the final battle with Omega, only coming downstairs to get food every few hours, and to check up on Cloud's search efforts. With every day and night that went by with no trace of Vincent, her spirit had been dimming. She turned her head as Tifa entered the room. "What's up?"

Tifa smiled, glad that she was able to give Yuffie some good news for once. The ninja had received more than her fair share of shrugs and downcast eyes over the last few days. "They found him. Help me put fresh sheets on the bed?"

"Is he okay?" Yuffie asked, immediately jumping down from the windowsill and all but tearing the dirty sheets off the double bed.

Tifa nodded. "Cloud says he's exhausted. He'll need to rest for a few days."

Yuffie's mood was visibly brighter as they pulled the fresh sheets onto the bed. She helped gather the dirty linens into one bunch while Tifa switched out the dirty towels in the bathroom for clean ones. Yuffie led the way as the pair walked back down the stairs to get everything into the laundry before the rest of the team returned.

"Hmm, I guess we can make up one of the couches and you can take Cloud's bed tonight, since we're putting Vincent where you were staying," Tifa remarked as they loaded the dirty sheets into the washer.

Yuffie shook her head. "I'll stay with him. The bed's big enough for two, and he'll be too tired to care anyway. Someone should stay with him."

Tifa smiled, she couldn't argue with that logic, nor did she want to. She knew that Yuffie's recent depression wasn't just due to the fact that they had potentially lost a friend and comrade. No, it was quite obvious to her that Vincent meant more than that to Yuffie, though she wasn't sure at what time this change had occurred. She just hoped that the younger girl would find a way to tell him before he decided to leave them all again.

* * *

About three hours later, Cloud walked through the front door of the bar, an arm thrown around Vincent's back to help support his weight while they walked. Tifa closed the door behind them, taking a moment to wrap Vincent in a quick hug before directing Cloud to take him upstairs.

"He needs to have his wounds cleaned off, but I think he's too tired to shower alone safely," Cloud said as he helped Vincent settle himself on the bed in the guest room. "Can you just clean them off with a cloth for tonight?"

Tifa nodded. "Yeah, go grab me the first aid kit and I'll take care of him. Yuffie should have dinner ready downstairs if you're hungry."

Cloud disappeared and returned with the first aid kit a few minutes later while Tifa poured warm water into a bowl. She helped Vincent strip down to his underwear and then began the task of cleaning off the many wounds he had decorating his abdomen and legs.

Tifa first had him lay on his stomach while she poked at the single wound on his back, which turned out to be nothing more than a nasty bruise that took up the entire area around his right shoulder blade. She made a mental note to check on it again tomorrow in case something was broken.

Her heart nearly broke when she asked him to roll over, revealing the numerous scars that decorated his chest and arms – leftovers from Hojo's horrific experiments. There were a few jagged gashes along his abdomen that required her attention, but they weren't deep enough to cause her any additional worry. She cleaned and bandaged them before giving him a potion to drink. Tifa sat at his side until he finished the bottle, then patted his hand affectionately as she handed him a pair of sweatpants that he slid on.

"I'm glad you're okay, Vincent," she said before standing and turning to address him. "I'll send up some dinner for you. Then you should get some rest."

"Dinner's already here," said a soft voice from the doorway. The door was nudged open with a light kick, revealing a tired-looking Yuffie carrying a tray of food.

Tifa smiled before crossing the room to the doorway. Yuffie walked a little further into the room, standing awkwardly in the middle of the floor as if unsure of her reason for coming upstairs. "I'll leave you two alone for a while," Tifa said as she wandered out, closing the door behind her.

There was a brief moment of silence while Vincent stared at Yuffie and Yuffie stared down at the tray she was carrying. Just as she decided what it was that she wanted to say, Vincent spoke.

"Thank you," he said softly. She was confused, her brow almost immediately furrowing in discontent. Vincent clarified, "for the food."

"Oh!" Yuffie exclaimed, suddenly remembering why she had come up there in the first place. She walked over, setting the tray down on the bedside table before taking a seat next to him on the edge of the bed. She reached a tentative hand out and gently pushed a few strands of hair back from Vincent's face.

"So you're really back," she said softly, as though her light touch had confirmed it.

Vincent smirked as he reached over and pulled the tray of food into his lap. "Did you think this was all an elaborate hoax?"

"I wouldn't have put it past Tifa," Yuffie said as she went to lie on the vacant side of the bed. "She'd do just about anything to make me feel better. Including hiring a Vincent Valentine look-a-like to come walking into the bar."

"Well, rest assured, you've got the original Vincent Valentine here, in almost mint condition," Vincent said as he momentarily paused his eating to look over at her. She had a smile on her face.

"The world has to nearly end before you can crack a joke, huh?" Yuffie said with a laugh. She laid down on her side facing him and pulled the pillow down under her head. "I'm staying with you tonight."

Vincent nodded once and continued eating his dinner, knowing that it was useless to argue when he didn't have the strength to remove her. The next time he looked over at Yuffie, her eyes were closed and her chest was rising and falling steadily. She had already fallen asleep. He finished his food off a moment later and slowly gulped down the glass of water she had brought him before setting the tray aside and laying himself down more comfortably next to her. His exhaustion hit him full force as soon as he found a comfortable position, and he was asleep before he knew it.

When Tifa came up to check on them an hour later, Yuffie was pressed against the side of Vincent's chest with an arm draped over him.


	2. Chapter 1: Falling

**Crimson

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**Author's Note: **The reason it took so long to get this chapter out was that I was trying to write it (and the following chapter) as the narrator, and there were too many points where I had to italicize and _think._ I was trying to figure out how to fix it, and I think I write better when I write from a first-person POV, so basically everything is going to be in the first person from now on, alternating between Yuffie and Vincent.

**Disclaimer:** The Final Fantasy series and all of its associated content are property of Square Enix. I am making no profit from this whatsoever.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Falling**

Sometime in the night Vincent had rolled onto his side and wrapped an arm around my sleeping body. At first I thought I had been dreaming, because surely this would not have happened in real life. But eventually I had opened my eyes, finding myself pressed against him with the top of my head resting just under his chin. I tossed my own arm over his side for good measure, in hopes that it might somehow slow his waking.

It was around six in the morning, which was when he usually woke. Despite that, he was still very much asleep and showed no signs of intending to get up anytime soon. I took this rare opportunity to really admire him, since it was the first time he had ever not been awake when I was, and since it would likely be the last.

The scars that adorned his chest were not new to me. I had seen them twice before in my life, once after stumbling into the wrong room at Icicle Inn, and the other when I had saved him from Rosso in the Shinra Mansion. That particular memory brought stinging tears to my eyes as I remembered sliding his shirt up with shaky hands, revealing the gaping void in his chest where the Protomateria had been. I closed my eyes again, remembering the way his Frankenstein body had kicked into high gear and began closing the wound. Now all that was left was a round scar about the size of my fist just below the intersecting point of the large 'X' on his chest leftover from Hojo's experiments.

I rested my palm flat against that circular scar, smiling at the sudden realization that that was the first night I had ever truly worried for Vincent. He was one of the few people in my life that always seemed to get by just fine on his own, never asking for or even needing any help from others. If I hadn't been there…

Vincent shifted in his sleep, letting out a deep breath that rustled the hair on top of my head as his hold on me momentarily tightened. His hand on my back slid down to rest just behind my hip, and I instinctively raised my leg to wrap over his in an attempt to find a more comfortable position. It felt like an eternity while I lay against him, content to listen to the soothing sound of his heartbeat while he slept.

The early morning quiet gave me time to think. There were things that I needed to say to him, that needed to be put out into the open so that maybe we could deal with them. I guess the starting point for all of the things that needed to get out, and what was providing the sense of urgency to the situation was that I didn't want him to leave again.

_This won't last_, I thought ruefully as I pressed my face tighter against his chest. It was no secret to anyone in this house that Vincent would be leaving as soon as he felt well enough to travel, which led me to the next thing I needed to say to him.

I was very much in love with Vincent Valentine. It was a recent realization. It had first occurred to me when I had seen him on the floor of the Shinra Mansion, paler than usual and near death. That was the first time I had thought about what my life would be like without him, the first time I had ever cried over him, and the first time I had felt like my feelings for him might be more than just friends. It had hit me again during the final battles, first when he had saved me from Nero, and again when he had gone off to finish Omega. At this point, there was no doubt in my mind. I was in love with him, and I was quite unwilling to live without him from this point forward.

He groaned softly as he awoke, leaning back away from me for a moment while he stretched. I could feel him looking down, watching me as he came to, perhaps wondering when we had put ourselves into this position. And then his arms were back around me and his chin was back on top of my head.

"Good morning," he whispered. He was still against me, unmoving except for his ever-present heartbeat and breathing.

"Hey," I replied as I curled further into him. He didn't rebuke the action, and instead accommodated the change of position by subtly loosening his arms until I was comfortable, and then tightening them once I had stopped moving. "Can you promise me something?"

"I can try," he said softly after a pause.

There was a brief moment of silence while I composed myself and he patiently waited. I momentarily raised my head to look at him, leaving the soothing warmth of his chest and the comforting space that I had found for myself. "Don't leave again."

His eyes didn't leave mine, or give any of his feelings away until he looked down and gave me a sad smile. "Yuffie…"

"I mean it. You always just leave like it means nothing to you, even though I know it does. So stay. Or at least, take me with you," I said flatly. I let my hands snake up his chest, coming to a halt once they found his shoulders. "Promise."

"...I promise."

* * *

The next few days were a blur as Vincent started feeling more like himself again. Or at least, a happier version of the Vincent we were all used to. He was smiling more freely, talking more (not much more, mind you, but speaking in complete sentences throughout a whole conversation is quite impressive for Vincent). Though there was no need to have someone watching over him as he slept anymore, he didn't seem to mind that I crawled into bed next to him every night.

I still hadn't told him that I loved him. It was just too much, too soon. His whole world had been thrown upside down less than a week ago; he didn't need something else to add into that mix.

Our friends slowly left the bar and returned to their lives. Cid was the first to go, since Shera was so close to her due date with their first child. Barret, Red, and Shelke set off next. Shelke was going to be staying with Red at Cosmo Canyon for the time being. It seemed like a good place for her to go, and she was as excited as she could be about it.

And so things were mostly back to normal. Cloud had left with some deliveries this morning, and Tifa was downstairs cooking dinner for us before there was a rush at the bar. While Marlene and Denzel played tag in the backyard, Vincent and I sat on the small stretch of roof outside the window of the room we were sharing.

I couldn't help but feel that now would have been the perfect time to have our talk, if only it wasn't so soon. I let my hand slide down the roof shingles to rest on top of his, causing him to snap out of his reverie and look at me.

He raised an eyebrow expectantly, but I just smiled and looked away. Marlene and Denzel were attempting to put a kite in the air from the backyard now that there was a light breeze flowing.

"What are your plans?" Vincent asked softly, unexpectedly. I looked back over at him, mimicking his raised eyebrow. "Everyone else has returned to their lives, but you've remained here with me. So what are your plans?"

_And how involved in them are you?_ I smiled before turning back to watch the kids. "I don't know yet. Reeve will have more WRO assignments soon enough. It's probably a good idea for me to avoid Wutai for a while, unless I want to get married off and tied down. Why? You want to go on an epic adventure?"

He smiled. "Perhaps."

In one quick movement, he had pushed himself backwards through the open window of our room and was inside, leaving me alone with my thoughts on the roof. I stayed outside for a few more minutes, admiring the view as the sun dropped down below the treetops. As the sky turned a shade of burnt orange, I scooted myself backwards through the window and silently resolved to tell Vincent how I felt before I let Reeve talk either of us into going back to work again. I couldn't risk losing him again.


	3. Chapter 2: Healing

**Crimson

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**

**Author's Note:** Told from Vincent's POV. Please review.

**Disclaimer: **The Final Fantasy series and all of its associated content are property of Square Enix. I am making no profit from this whatsoever.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Healing**

After two days of near constant sleep, the exhaustion that had been eating away at me had all but disappeared. The ache that had settled into my back and shoulders appeared to have dissipated as well by the third day back. Now it was Sunday, a full week after Cloud had all but carried me in here, and I was ready to go.

It was somewhere around four in the morning when I slipped out from under Yuffie's arm and began to quietly dress myself. I quickly shed the shorts Cloud had lent me to sleep in and replaced them with my own pants, which Tifa had laundered earlier in the week. I buckled them slowly, careful to keep the buckles from clanking into one another and making a racket.

My shirt was nowhere to be found. I didn't take it as too much of a setback, since Cloud had conveniently given me a few black t-shirts to wear over the course of my week here. I slid one on, taking a moment to tuck it in before glancing over at Yuffie's sleeping form as I reached for my cloak.

She was still curled up under the blue and white plaid blanket that had been draped over us, her arm still outstretched and lying across where I had previously been asleep. Yuffie was different in sleep, and it wasn't just due to the fact that she was finally silent. There was a soothing calmness in it all – her face, her breathing, her very aura. But she had been quite different in general since I had returned.

She was more subdued, always offering to listen to anything I was inclined to say without butting in for once. She had slept beside me for the last week, never hesitating to wrap me in her arms when my nightmares proved too much. After my exhaustion had faded and I found myself craving a normal six hours of sleep a night, I began being assaulted by nightmares on a regular basis. Though they had become fewer in number over the course of the week, dulling down to only one a night, I was always prompted with the same nightmare, reminiscent of the days I had spent rotting away in the basement of Shinra Mansion.

Yuffie and I would be facing Nero once again, but instead of engulfing both of us in his darkness, he would capture only her, and the darkness would vanish before I could get to her and save her. And then I'd be all alone. Out of good will, and concern for her, I never told her what these nightmares entailed. I didn't want to make her worry more than she already did.

The nightmares had made it all painfully evident to me. As much as I wanted to believe that everything was settled and that I could finally be free, there were still things that felt unfinished. Until they were at peace, I didn't deserve to rest, and I most certainly didn't deserve the compassion and companionship that Yuffie was offering. I ran the fingers of my gloved hand against her cheek, resisting the urge to lean down and kiss her goodbye. She would be angry when she awoke later to an empty bed, but I think deep down she would understand my motives for leaving.

I walked down the stairs as quietly as I could and made a mental note that it might be time for a change of footwear if being stealthy was important. The main floor of the bar was dark, the only movement being the ceiling fan that Tifa had neglected to turn off the night before. I didn't blame her, the summer heat was gruesome during the day, and the warmth that permeated the walls of the bar could be overwhelming with all of the customers inside.

There was a light on down the hall, in Cloud's office. I wandered down there quietly, pausing at the door as I saw him packing a bag, looking very similar to the way I had looked moments ago. I cleared my throat, not wanting to scare him since he obviously wasn't expecting company.

"Hey, Vincent," he said, not bothering to turn around, as if he had known that I was there. He pulled open a drawer and shoved a small first aid kit in the bag.

"Going somewhere?" I asked as I took a step further into the room. Cloud's desk was usually a mess of papers and maps, but at the moment it was completely bare.

He nodded. "Yeah, I need to get away for a while so I took a delivery in Wutai. Normally I'd call Cid and have him take it, but I could use a change of scenery."

I understood the feeling all too well and waited in the doorway until Cloud looked like he was done packing. He turned to look at me as he slung the bag on his shoulder. "Want to walk out of town together? You're heading out too."

I waited patiently by the garage as Cloud went upstairs to say silent goodbyes to Tifa and the children. Though I was sure that they would be saddened by his departure, I could see the change in Cloud and knew that he also did not want to leave them. Leaving was just something he needed to do sometimes, much in the same way that I found it hard to stay in one place. And so we left. Cloud grabbed his motorcycle from the garage and put the bag on it before starting to wheel it down the street. We walked in silence, because neither of us were very interested in speaking. It was something I had always appreciated about Cloud, and one of the few things we had in common.

We reached the city gate in just under a half hour. Cloud merely nodded to me before straddling the seat of his motorcycle and pulling his goggles onto his face. "Come back soon."

I watched him peel off and pull away from the city limits, and waiting a few moments for the dust to settle before resuming my walk. I passed the last few shops and homes before stepping outside the city walls, only to find myself looking at a very disinterested ninja.

Yuffie was leaning up against the outside wall of the city, eyes closed as she let out a deep breath. When she opened them and looked at me, there wasn't anger like I expected to see, or sadness. In fact, she was quite blank in that moment. I wondered if she had been practicing.

"You broke your promise," she said as she leaned down to pick up a small pack off the ground near her feet. I didn't try to deny her claim, and merely stood while she readied her belongings. She looked up at me again when she was ready to go. "I won't ask why, or even say that it was unexpected. But, I'm not letting you leave without me. Whatever this is, I'm going with you."

"Then let's continue on."


	4. Chapter 3: Traveling

**Crimson

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**

**Author's Note: **This is probably going to be the most boring chapter ever. If you skip it you will probably miss nothing more than a few cutesy moments.

**Disclaimer:** The Final Fantasy series and all of its associated content are property of Square Enix. I am making no profit from this whatsoever.

* * *

**Chapter 3: Traveling**

Our journey began in silence, mostly due to the fact that Vincent was always quiet and that I was mad at him for trying to sneak away. I wasn't sure where exactly Vincent wanted to go or what it was that he needed to do, but I let him lead the way. The things I needed to say would obviously have to wait until this task of his was over, whatever it was. We walked past the crumbling walls of Midgar, out into the fields that separated it from Kalm. We reached the town around midday, and found ourselves right in the middle of their reconstruction efforts.

"You were staying in Kalm before Deepground, right?" I asked softly as I gave Vincent's cape a tug. He merely nodded before turning away from the city streets and back towards the fields.

"In one of the inns for a few weeks while I waited for Reeve to become available. We should continue on. If we go in, we'd likely get drafted into their project," he said as he turned back towards the plains. We walked on for a few miles, across the open expanse of green in the direction of the mines.

I stopped when my stomach growled. "Hey, Vince?" I asked as I rested my hands on my stomach. He turned around, head cocked to the side in question, though he didn't speak. "Where exactly are we going?"

He smirked. "Tired already?"

I shook my head. "No, a little hungry. I was wondering when we were going to stop."

"Either at the ranch before the mines, or at Fort Condor. I don't want to be in the mines after dark, so our rate of travel will determine where we stop," he said as he began walking again. I jogged to keep up with him.

"So, where are we going? Like, what is the point of this mysterious, must-leave-at-the-break-of-dawn journey?" I asked as we walked down a slight slope.

Vincent shrugged and gave his cape a twirl. "I would like to retrace Avalanche's journey during Meteorfall, in hopes that it will abate my wanderlust and put me at ease."

I smiled as we continued on over the plains. I could see a tiny speck in the distance – the Chocobo Ranch – and suddenly found myself filled with hope. "I'm glad you're speaking in complete sentences now."

My stomach did a happy dance as the sun slipped down below the tree line just as we approached the ranch. Vincent didn't look too happy about this. He probably thought he could've made it all the way to Fort Condor if he had been by himself. Oh well. Cloud might've been content to let him go traveling off on his own again, but I wasn't.

Neither of us had been with the group during their first encounter with the Chocobo breeders at the ranch, but we had been warned about their high prices and willingness to sell just about anything for some gil. Judging by the flock of Chocobos wandering around the fenced-in area in front of the house, they weren't doing too badly for themselves now. Vincent rapped on the front door with his claw.

I heard footsteps inside and in a moment, a short man had opened the door. He stared out at us, blinking for a few seconds before speaking. "Can I help you?"

I stepped forward, lightly pushing Vincent and all of his imposing creepiness out of the way. "Hi, yes. We were wondering if you had space for us to spend the night. And maybe some food? We'd be glad to pay."

At the word 'pay', the man's eyes lit up. "Well, sure. It's 200 gil a night, plus 50 to feed you both. We only got one bed though, and you'll have to pay up front."

"That's fine," I said, passing over the gil from the pouch at my hip. The little man opened the door and led us in, pointing toward a table where we sat and were served tea while he went to ready the room for us. Vincent was glaring at me from across the table. "What?"

"250 gil is a steep price for these accommodations," Vincent replied as he took a sip of his tea. "We should've just camped out near the edge of the ranch."

I kept my momentary flash of anger in check as the rancher returned from getting our room ready, and settled for sticking my tongue out at Vincent across the table while a light dinner was set in front of us. As quickly as he had come back in the room, the old rancher was gone again, bidding us goodnight with the reminder that breakfast was included in our stay.

I smirked at Vincent across the table. "Breakfast and dinner for two, for 50 gil. That's not bad."

"Breakfast, dinner, and sharing what is no doubt going to be a twin-sized bed, for 250 gil," Vincent replied, stony-faced.

I finished my plate, moving to leave it in the sink before coming around behind Vincent and wrapping my arms around his shoulders. I leaned down to rest my chin on top of his head while he finished his own plate of food. "Just think, in a few days, we'll be in Costa del Sol and we can stay in the villa."

When Vincent stood to put his plate in the sink, he was smirking. He peered over at me from his position across the room, and did not bother to hide the slightly humorous edge in his voice. "That's after we cross the ocean. On a boat. And I'm fresh out of tranquilizers."

Damn it.


End file.
